Contourable plate

ABSTRACT

A medical device that may include a main body and a plurality of hooks. The main body includes a length extending along an axis between first and second ends. The main body may be deformable such that the axis forms an arch shape corresponding to a shape of a mandibular jaw or a maxillary jaw. The main body may include a plurality of sections each having first and second edges defining a first width and a plurality of openings disposed between the first and second edges and extending through a thickness of the main body. The main body may include a plurality of recessed portions defining a second width disposed between adjacent ones of the sections. Each of the hooks may extend from a corresponding one of the sections.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/980,910, filed on Apr. 17, 2014. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a contourable plate for restricting movement of a patient's maxilla and mandible.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.

In certain circumstances, it may be desirable to stabilize and restrict relative movement between a patient's maxilla and mandible to promote bone healing following an injury to the patient's jaw, a surgical reconstruction, and/or a surgical alteration of the patient's jaw. Wire has been used in combination with various devices to retain the maxilla and mandible in a desired position. It may be desirable to provide a device and method for restricting the maxilla and mandible that reduces installation time relative to prior art devices and methods in a safe and effective manner.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

In one form, the present disclosure provides a medical device that may include a main body and a plurality of hooks. The main body includes a length extending along an axis between first and second ends. The main body may be deformable such that the axis forms an arch shape corresponding to a shape of a mandibular jaw or a maxillary jaw. The main body may include a plurality of sections each having first and second edges defining a first width and a plurality of openings disposed between the first and second edges and extending through a thickness of the main body. The main body may include a plurality of recessed portions defining a second width disposed between adjacent ones of the sections. Each of the hooks may extend from a corresponding one of the sections.

In some embodiments, each of the openings includes a chamfered surface extending only partially around a periphery of the opening.

In some embodiments, the hooks extend away from the axis.

In some embodiments, each of the hooks include a stem portion, a hooked lip and an elongated leg extending between the stem portion and the hooked lip.

In some embodiments, the stem portion of each hook is disposed at an angle relative to a corresponding section and a corresponding leg.

In some embodiments, the medical device includes a plurality of threaded fasteners configured to be driven through the openings.

In some embodiments, a thickness of the main body is less than or equal to a pitch of threads of the fasteners.

In some embodiments, the medical device includes a wire adapted to engage at least one of the hooks.

In some embodiments, each of the sections include a raised boss at least partially surrounding a corresponding one of the openings. The raised boss may have a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the recessed portions.

In another form, the present disclosure provides an intermaxillary fixation assembly that may include first and second contourable plates, a plurality of threaded fasteners, and at least one wire. The first and second contourable plates each have a main body and a plurality of hooks. The main body has a length extending along an axis between first and second ends. The main body may be deformable such that the axis forms an arch shape corresponding to a shape of a mandibular jaw or a maxillary jaw. The main body may include a plurality of sections each having first and second edges defining a first width and a plurality of openings disposed between the first and second edges and extending through a thickness of the main body. The main body may include a plurality of recessed portions defining a second width disposed between adjacent ones of the sections. Each of the hooks may extend from a corresponding one of the sections. The plurality of threaded fasteners may be adapted to threadably engage the openings and secure the first and second plates to a patient's maxilla and mandible, respectively. The at least one wire may be adapted to be attached to at least one hook of the first plate and at least one hook of the second plate.

In some embodiments, each of the openings include a chamfered surface extending only partially around a periphery of the opening.

In some embodiments, each of the hooks include a stem portion, a hooked lip and an elongated leg extending between the stem portion and the hooked lip. The stem portion of each hook may be disposed at an angle relative to a corresponding leg and a main body of a corresponding one of the first and second plates.

In another form, the present disclosure provides a method of restricting movement of a mandible relative to a maxilla that may include using first and second plates each having a plurality of openings formed therein and a plurality of hooks extending therefrom, each of the first and second plates having a plurality of recesses each disposed between a corresponding pair of adjacent openings. A user may bend the first plate at the recesses of the first plate into a first shape corresponding to a shape of the maxilla. The user may bend the second plate at the recesses of the second plate into a second shape corresponding to a shape of the mandible. The user may insert fasteners through the openings and drive the fasteners into the mandible or the maxilla.

In some embodiments, the user connects one of the hooks of the first plate to one of the hooks of the second plate.

In some embodiments, connecting one of the hooks of the first plate to one of the hooks of the second plate includes wrapping wire around distal ends of the hooks.

In some embodiments, the user positions the first and second plates such that tips of the hooks are vertically aligned with teeth extending from at least one of the maxilla and mandible.

In some embodiments, the user adjusts a length of at least one of the first and second plates. In some embodiments, adjusting a length of at least one of the first and second plates includes cutting at least one of the first and second plates at one of the recesses.

In some embodiments, the fasteners are locked relative to the first and second plates by engaging a thread of each of the fasteners with a chamfered surface of each of the openings. In some embodiments, the chamfered surface extends around only a portion of a periphery of the openings.

In another form, the present disclosure provides a medical device that may include an elongated, contourable bar having a plurality of hooks and a plurality of mounting tabs. Each of the hooks may include a stem that extends from the bar in a first direction. Each of the mounting tabs may extend from the bar in a second direction opposite the first direction and may include a pair of elongated apertures separated from each other by a support strut. Each of the mounting tabs may be spaced apart from each other.

In some embodiments, directly adjacent mounting tabs cooperate to form a U-shaped space therebetween.

In some embodiments, the bar is bendable from a pre-deployment configuration to a deployment configuration.

In some embodiments, in the pre-deployment configuration, the mounting tabs and the bar cooperate to define a flat plane and the bar defines a continuous curve about a first axis that extends perpendicular to the flat plane.

In some embodiments, in the deployment configuration, at least a portion of the bar is curved about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.

In some embodiments, in the deployment configuration, the bar is shaped to correspond to a shape of a mandible or a maxilla.

In some embodiments, each of the elongated apertures includes a chamfered surface extending around a periphery thereof.

In some embodiments, the medical device includes a plurality of fasteners configured to be received in the elongated apertures.

In some embodiments, each of the fasteners includes a head and a shaft having a first threaded portion and a second threaded portion. The first threaded portion may include threads with a smaller diameter than threads of the second threaded portion. The threads of the second threaded portion may have a larger lead than the threads of the first threaded portion.

In some embodiments, each of the fasteners includes an annular locking groove disposed between the head and the second threaded portion. The second threaded portion may be disposed between the head and the first threaded portion.

In some embodiments, each of the elongated apertures includes a chamfered surface extending around a periphery thereof. An innermost peripheral edge of each elongated aperture may be configured to be received in the locking groove.

In another form, the present disclosure provides an intermaxillary fixation assembly including an elongated, contourable bar and a plurality of fasteners. The elongated, contourable bar may have a plurality of hooks and a plurality of mounting tabs. Each of the mounting tabs may include at least one aperture. The plurality of fasteners may be configured to be received in the apertures. Each of the fasteners may include a head and a shaft having a first threaded portion and a second threaded portion. The first threaded portion may have threads with a smaller lead than threads of the second threaded portion.

In some embodiments, each of the fasteners includes an annular locking groove disposed between the head and the second threaded portion. The second threaded portion may be disposed between the head and the first threaded portion.

In some embodiments, the threads of the first threaded portion may have a smaller diameter than the threads of the second threaded portion.

In some embodiments, each of the apertures includes a chamfered surface extending around a periphery thereof. An innermost peripheral edge of each aperture may be configured to be received in the locking groove.

In some embodiments, the mounting tabs include a pair of elongated apertures separated from each other by a support strut. Each of the mounting tabs may be spaced apart from each other.

In some embodiments, each of the hooks includes a stem that extends from the bar in a first direction. Each of the mounting tabs may extend from the bar in a second direction opposite the first direction.

In some embodiments, directly adjacent mounting tabs cooperate to form a U-shaped space therebetween.

In some embodiments, the bar is bendable from a pre-deployment configuration to a deployment configuration.

In some embodiments, in the pre-deployment configuration, the mounting tabs and the bar cooperate to define a flat plane and the bar defines a continuous curve about a first axis that extends perpendicular to the flat plane.

In some embodiments, in the deployment configuration, at least a portion of the bar is curved about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.

In some embodiments, in the deployment configuration, the bar is shaped to correspond to a shape of a mandible or a maxilla.

In some embodiments, the intermaxillary fixation assembly of includes at least one wire and another elongated, contourable bar having a plurality of openings and a plurality of hooks. The at least one wire may engage at least one of the hooks of each of the bars.

In another form, the present disclosure provides a method of restricting movement of a mandible relative to a maxilla. The method may include using a first bar and a second bar each having a plurality of openings and a plurality of hooks; bending the first bar into a first shape corresponding to a shape of the maxilla; bending the second bar into a second shape corresponding to a shape of the mandible; inserting fasteners through the openings, the fasteners having a first threaded portion and a second threaded portion, the first threaded portion having threads with a smaller diameter than threads of the second threaded portion; threadably driving the first threaded portion one of the fasteners into the mandible or the maxilla; engaging the second threaded portion of the one of the fasteners with a periphery of a corresponding opening; and rotating the one of the fasteners relative to the bars and relative to the mandible or maxilla such that the one of the fasteners is threadably advanced into the mandible or maxilla while simultaneously threadably moving at least a portion of one of the first and second bars toward a head of the one of the fasteners and away from gingival tissue through which the fasteners extend.

In some embodiments, the method includes connecting one of the hooks of the first bar to one of the hooks of the second bar.

In some embodiments, connecting one of the hooks of the first bar to one of the hooks of the second bar includes wrapping wire around distal ends of the hooks.

In some embodiments, the method includes positioning the first and second bars such that tips of the hooks are vertically aligned with teeth extending from at least one of the maxilla and mandible.

In some embodiments, the method includes locking the fasteners relative to the first and second bars by engaging an annular locking groove of the fasteners with chamfered surfaces of the openings.

In some embodiments, engagement between the locking groove and the chamfered surfaces is an interference fit.

In some embodiments, bending the first bar includes bending the first bar from a pre-deployment shape to the shape corresponding to the maxilla. In the pre-deployment shape, the bar and mounting tabs through which the openings extend may cooperate to define a flat plane and the bar may define a continuous curve about an axis that extends perpendicular to the flat plane.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of contourable plates attached to a patient's maxilla and mandible according to the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the contourable plates of FIG. 1 in a contoured condition;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the contourable plate in a flat condition;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the contourable plate taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another contourable plate in a flat condition according to the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of yet another contourable plate in a flat condition according to the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the contourable plate of FIG. 6 taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an intermaxillary fixation assembly include another pair of contourable plates attached to a patient's maxilla and mandible according to the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the contourable plates of FIG. 8 in a deployment configuration;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one of the contourable plates of FIG. 8 in a pre-deployment configuration;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of one of the contourable plates of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a side view of a fastener of the intermaxillary fixation assembly of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener engaging the contourable plate and a patient's tissue.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

With reference to FIG. 1, an intermaxillary fixation assembly 11 is provided that may include a pair of contourable plates or arch bars 10, a plurality of threaded fasteners 12 and one or more rubber bands or wires 14. The fasteners 12 secure the plates 10 to a respective one of a patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18. Thereafter, a surgeon may use the one or more wires 14 to secure the two plates 10 to each other, thereby restricting relative movement between the patient's maxilla and mandible. In some embodiments, the plates 10 are similar or identical to each other. Each of the plates 10 may be bent or contoured by the surgeon (or another medical professional) to correspond to the shapes of an individual patient's maxilla and mandible, respectively.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, each of the plates 10 may include an elongated main body 20 and a plurality of hooks 22 extending therefrom. An axis A1 (FIGS. 2 and 3) may extend through first and second ends 24, 26 of the main body 20. The main body 20 may include a plurality of sections 28 and a plurality of recesses 30. Each of the recesses 30 may be disposed between adjacent sections 28. Each of the sections 28 may include first and second edges 32, 34 that define a first width W1 (FIG. 3) of the sections 28. The recesses 30 may have a second width W2 (FIG. 3) that is smaller than the first width W1. The recesses 30, having the smaller second width W2, facilitate bending of the main body 20 into a shape corresponding to a particular patient's maxilla or mandible, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It will be appreciated that each section 28 may be bendable or contourable. That is, bending of the main body 20 may not be limited to bending only at the recesses 30. The recesses 30 may also facilitate cutting of the main body 20 into multiple pieces and/or trimming the main body 20 to a desired length.

Each of the sections 28 may include an opening or aperture 36 extending therethrough. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fasteners 12 extend through the apertures 36 and engage bone and/or other tissue. While the apertures 36 are shown in the figures as elongated slots that extend longitudinally along the axis A1, in other embodiments, the apertures 36 could be generally circular holes or the apertures 36 could be slots that are elongated in directions perpendicular to the axis A1. The elongated shape of the apertures 36 allows the surgeon freedom to locate the fasteners 12 in desired positions to avoid driving the fasteners 12 into major nerves, roots of teeth, or sensitive and/or damaged bone or tissue, for example.

In some embodiments, each aperture 36 may include a chamfered surface 38 (FIGS. 3 and 4) that extends only partially around a periphery of the aperture 36. In the particular configuration illustrated, a first elongated edge 40 of the aperture 36 includes the chamfered surface 38 while the second parallel edge 42 of the aperture 36 is not chamfered. The single chamfered surface 38 allows for engagement with the threads of the fasteners 12. In some embodiments, a thickness of the main body 20 may be less than or equal to a pitch of the threads of the fasteners 12. In some embodiments, the distance between the first and second edges 40, 42 may be between approximately a minor diameter of the threads of the fastener 12 and approximately 75% of the distance between the minor and major diameters of the threads of the fastener 12. The fasteners 12 may threadably engage the apertures 36 and may be threadably advanced through the apertures 36. The fasteners 12 may be cam-locked in the apertures 36 when a thread runout of the fastener 12 (i.e., an end of the thread of the fastener 12 closest to the head of the fastener 12) cam-locks against the edges 40, 42 of the aperture 36.

Each of the plurality of hooks 22 may extend from the second edge 34 of a corresponding one of the sections 28 of the main body 20. The hooks 22 may extend away from the axis A1. Each of the hooks 22 may include a stem portion 44, an elongated leg 46 and a hooked lip 48. As shown in FIG. 4, the stem portion 44 may be bent to extend at an angle relative to the main body 20. For example, in some embodiments, the stem portion 44 may be bent at approximately a sixty degree angle relative to the main body 20. In some embodiments, the angle of the stem portion 44 relative to the main body 20 may be chosen to accommodate the shape of the patient's maxilla 16 or mandible 18 and the patient's teeth 19 so that the main body 20 may contact the patient's mandible or maxilla and the leg 46 of the hooks 22 may contact or nearly contact the patient's teeth 19.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1-4, a method of restricting movement between the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18 will be described. As described above and shown in FIG. 1, a surgeon may attach one of the contourable plates 10 to each of the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18 with the fasteners 12 and secure the two plates 10 to each other with metallic or polymeric wire 14, thereby restricting relative movement between the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18.

Before attaching the plates 10 to the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18, the surgeon may trim the length of the plates 10 and/or bend the plates 10 to generally match the shape and contours of the particular patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). As described above, the trimming and bending of the plates 10 may occur at one or more of the recesses 30 of the main body 20 and/or anywhere along one or more of the sections 28 of the main body 20.

Next, the surgeon may position one of the plates 10 inside of the patient's mouth so that the main body 20 of the plate 10 is placed in a desired location against one of the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18 (e.g., in contact with the patient's gum tissue covering the maxilla 16 or mandible 18 generally adjacent the patient's teeth 19). Then, the surgeon may drive one or more of the fasteners 12 through one or more of the apertures 36 and into the patient's tissue and bone. The surgeon may repeat this process to attach a second one of the plates 10 into the other of the patient's maxilla 16 or mandible 18. As described above, the surgeon may select locations in the patient's bone and tissue into which the fasteners 12 are driven to minimize or reduce damage to the patient's bone, tissue and/or nerves and/or to minimize or reduce pain that the patient will experience as a result of the installation of the plates 10.

With the plates 10 secured to the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18, the surgeon may loop strands of wire 14 around the lips 48 of the hooks 22 of the plates 10 and twist and/or tie the ends of the wires 14 to each other to secure the plates 10 to relative to each other, and thereby restrict relative motion between the maxilla 16 and mandible 18. While each wire 14 is shown looped around one of the hooks 22 of each plate 10, it will be appreciated that the wire 14 can be laced, tied or wrapped around any number of hooks 22 of each plate 10 in any desired manner. Instead of or in addition to the wires 14, the surgeon may choose to use rubber bands and/or any other suitable band, tie or clip, for example, to secure the plates 10 to each other.

Attaching the plates 10 to the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18 with the fasteners 12 and attaching the wire 14 to the extended hooks 22 allows the surgeon to quickly and safely complete installation of the assembly 11. Wrapping the wire 14 around the hooks 22 allows the wire 14 to be attached without having the pass the wire 14 between teeth 19. The assembly 11 and method described above provides a safe and robust way of stabilizing the patient's jaw in a manner that is not dependent upon the positioning or structural integrity of the patient's teeth and is not affected by a lack of the patient's teeth.

With reference to FIG. 5, another contourable plate 110 is provided that may be generally similar to the plates 10 described above apart from any exceptions described below and/or shown in the figures. Two of the plates 110 can be used in combination with the fasteners 12 and wire 14 in substantially the same manner described above to restrict relative movement between the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18.

The plate 110 may include a main body 120 and a plurality of hooks 122 extending therefrom. The hooks 122 may be similar or identical to the hooks 22 described above. The main body 120 may include a plurality of apertures 136 arranged in first and second rows 137, 139. The first and second rows 137, 139 may extend generally parallel to each other and may be vertically (relative to the view shown in FIG. 5) spaced from each other. Each aperture 136 in the first row 137 may be positioned horizontally (relative to the view shown in FIG. 5) between adjacent apertures 136 of the second row 139. In this manner, the surgeon may select desired ones of the apertures 136 through which to pass fasteners 12 to fasten the plate 110 to the patient's bone or tissue. As described above, the surgeon may select the apertures 136 based on the positioning of the selected apertures 136 relative to locations of particular anatomical features such as major nerves and/or roots of teeth, for example.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, another contourable plate 210 is provided that may be generally similar to the plates 10 described above apart from any exceptions described below and/or shown in the figures. Two of the plates 210 can be used in combination with the fasteners 12 and wire 14 in substantially the same manner described above to restrict relative movement between the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18.

The plate 210 may include a main body 220 and a plurality of hooks 222 extending therefrom. The hooks 222 may be similar or identical to the hooks 22 described above. The main body 220 may include a plurality of sections 228 and a plurality of recesses 230. Each of the recesses 230 may be disposed between adjacent sections 228. Like the recesses 30, the recesses 230 may have a smaller width than the sections 228 to facilitate bending and/or trimming of the plate 210 to fit the plate 210 to the anatomy of a particular patient. Each of the sections 228 may include an aperture 236. The apertures 236 may be elongated slots or circular holes, for example. Each of the sections 228 may include a raised boss 229 that extends around the aperture 236. The bosses 229 may include a first thickness T1 that is greater than a second thickness T2 of the hooks 222 and recesses 230. A chamfer 238 may be formed around some or all of each of the apertures 236. The increased thickness of the bosses 229 may increase the amount of engagement between the fasteners 12 and the plate 210, thereby increasing the ability to lock the fasteners 12 in the apertures 236.

With reference to FIGS. 8-13, another intermaxillary fixation assembly 311 is provided that may include a pair of contourable plates or arch bars 310, a plurality of threaded fasteners 312 and one or more bands or wires 314 (FIG. 8). Some of the fasteners 312 may fix one of the arch bars 310 to a patient's maxilla 16, and some of the fasteners 312 may fix the other one of the arch bars 310 to the patient's mandible 18. The wires 314 may secure the two arch bars 310 to each other, thereby restricting relative movement between the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18. In some embodiments, the arch bars 310 are similar or identical to each other. Each of the arch bars 310 may be bent or contoured by the surgeon (or another medical professional) to correspond to the shapes of an individual patient's maxilla and mandible, respectively.

Each of the arch bars 310 include an elongated, contourable bar 320 having a plurality of hooks 322 and a plurality of mounting tabs 324. A stem 325 of each of the hooks 322 may extend from a first edge 326 of the bar 320 in a first direction. As shown in FIG. 11, the hooks 322 may include generally U-shaped or J-shaped cross sections such that free ends 327 of the hooks 322 are spaced apart from an anterior side 329 of the arch bar 310.

The mounting tabs 324 and the bar 320 cooperate to form a main body of the arch bar 310. The mounting tabs 324 may extend from a second edge 328 (opposite the first edge 326) (FIG. 10) of the bar 320 in a second direction opposite the first direction. Each mounting tab 324 may include one or more apertures 330 extending therethrough. In the configuration depicted in FIGS. 8-13, each mounting tab 324 includes a pair of elongated slots or apertures 330. Each mounting tab 324 includes a support strut 332 separating adjacent apertures 330. The mounting tab 324 may be spaced apart from each other such that directly adjacent mounting tabs cooperate to form a generally U-shaped space or recess 334 (FIG. 10) therebetween. The mounting tabs 324 and the bar 320 cooperate to form a first width of the main body of the arch bar 310, and the first and second edges 326, 328 cooperate to form a second width of the main body that is smaller than the first width.

First and second chamfers 336, 338 surround a periphery of each of the apertures 330. The first chamfer 336 may be formed on the anterior side 329 of the arch bar 310, and the second chamfer 338 may be formed on a posterior side 331 of the arch bar 310. The first and second chamfers 336, 338 of each aperture 330 cooperate to define a tapered rim 344 (FIG. 11) defining the periphery of the aperture 330.

The arch bars 310 are bendable and plastically deformable from a pre-deployment configuration (shown in FIG. 10) to a deployment configuration (shown in FIGS. 8 and 9). In the pre-deployment configuration, the bar 320 and the mounting tabs 324 define a flat plane (i.e., the bar 320 and all of the mounting tabs 324 lie on the same flat plane), and the bar 320 defines a continuous curve about a first axis A1 (shown extending into the page in FIG. 10) that extends perpendicular to the flat plane. It should be appreciated that the positioning of first axis A1 in FIG. 10 relative to the bar 320 is not to scale relative to the radius of the curvature of the bar 320.

A surgeon or other medical professional may bend the arch bars 310 to the deployment configurations. The shapes of the arch bars 310 in the deployment configurations may correspond to the shapes of the maxilla 16 and mandible 18 of a particular patient to which the particular arch bars 310 will be fixed. In the deployment configuration, the opposing ends of each arch bar 310 may be bent toward each other. That is, some of or the entire arch bar 310 may be bent about one or more second axes A2 that may be perpendicular to the first axis A1.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the fasteners 312 may include a head 350 and a shaft 352. The shaft 352 may include a first threaded portion 354, a second threaded portion 356, and an annular locking groove 357. The first threaded portion 354 may include a tip 355 of the fastener 312 and a first set of threads 358. The first set of threads 358 could be bone-screw threads, for example.

The second threaded portion 356 may be disposed between the head 350 and the first threaded portion 354 and may include a second set of threads 360 having a larger diameter than the first set of threads 358 (e.g., major and minor diameters D1, D2 of the second set of threads 360 may both be larger than the major diameter D3 of the first set of threads 358. The second set of threads 360 may have twice the lead as the first set of threads 358. That is, one full rotation of the fastener 312 relative to an object threadably engaged with the second set of threads 360 will result in double the relative linear axial movement between the fastener 312 and the object as compared to the length of the relative linear axial movement that would result if the object were threadably engaged with the first set of threads 358 for one full rotation of the fastener relative to the object. In some embodiments, the second set of threads 360 may have two starts 361 (i.e., two separate threads that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other) and the same (or nearly the same) pitch P (axial distance between adjacent threads) as the first set of threads 358, thereby giving the second set of threads 360 twice the lead as the first set of threads 358. In other embodiments, the second set of threads 360 could have a single start (one single continuous thread extending from one axial end of the second threaded portion 356 to the other axial end) and twice the pitch as the first set of threads 358, thereby giving the second set of threads 360 twice the lead as the first set of threads 358. In some embodiments, the lead of the second set of threads 360 could be more or less than twice the lead of the first set of threads 358.

The locking groove 357 may be an annular groove disposed between the head 350 and the second threaded portion 356. The minor diameter D4 of the locking groove 357 may be greater than the minor diameter D2 of the second set of threads 360 and less than the major diameter D1 of the second set of threads 360. The second set of threads 360 may include a tapered section 362 adjacent the locking groove 357 that provides a gradual, ramped transition from the minor diameter D2 of the second set of threads 360 to the minor diameter D4 of the locking groove 357. The minor diameter D4 of the locking groove 357 may be sized for a tight fit or an interference fit with the tapered rim 344 defining the periphery of the aperture 330 of the arch bar 310 when the rim 344 is received in the locking groove 357 (as shown in FIG. 13). Such a fit prevents the relative sliding between the fasteners 312 and the apertures 330 while still allowing the fasteners 312 to rotate within the apertures 330 if adjustments need to be made to the depth of the fasteners 312 relative to the patient's tissue while the rims 344 are received in the locking grooves 357.

With continued reference to FIGS. 8-13, a method of method of restricting movement between the patient's maxilla 16 and mandible 18 using the intermaxillary fixation assembly 311 will be described. As described above, the arch bars 310 are bendable from the pre-deployment configuration (FIG. 10) to the deployment configuration (FIGS. 8 and 9). That is, the surgeon or other medical professional may bend one of the arch bars 310 into a shape corresponding to the shape of the particular patient's maxilla 16. The surgeon or other medical professional may bend the other arch bar 310 into a shape corresponding to the shape of the particular patient's mandible 18.

The “in-plane contour” of the arch bar 310 in the pre-deployment configuration (i.e., the curve of the arch bar 310 about the first axis A1 shown in FIG. 10) may facilitate “out-of-plan” bending of the arch bar 310 into desired deployment configurations. That is, the in-plane contour may make it easier for the surgeon to bend the arch bar 310 in a manner that produces consistent localized bends without causing creasing or “tenting” of the arch bar 310. In this manner, the surgeon has more control over shaping of the arch bar 310 to suit shape of a given patient's maxilla or mandible.

With the arch bars 310 at least partially bent into the desired deployment configuration, the surgeon may position the arch bars 310 relative to the maxilla 16 and mandible 18 as desired and drive fasteners 312 through selected ones of the apertures 330 and into the patient's maxilla 16 or mandible 18 (as shown in FIGS. 8 and 13). As shown in FIG. 8, the arch bars 310 may be positioned near the patient's gum line so that the hooks 322 are vertically positioned generally in alignment with the patient's teeth 368.

The apertures 330 chosen for receiving the fasteners 312 and the particular location in each aperture chosen for receiving the fasteners 312 may be chosen based on the underlying anatomy of the patient. For example, the surgeon can chose certain apertures 330 and locations within the apertures 330 (i.e., positions along the lengths of the apertures 330) to avoid tooth roots, certain nerves, muscle and/or bone structures and/or target other bone or tissue structures that may be better suited for receiving the fasteners 312.

The surgeon may drive each fastener 312 into the patient's maxilla 16 or mandible 18 by first driving the first threaded portion 354 of the fastener 312 through gingival tissue 370 (FIG. 13) and into bone structure 372 (FIG. 13). As the first threaded portion 354 continues to be driven into the bone structure 372, the second threaded portion 356 will threadably engage the rim 344 of the aperture 330 of the arch bar 310. Because the second set of threads 360 of the second threaded portion 356 has twice the lead as the first set of threads 358 of the first threaded portion 354, threadably advancing the fastener 312 deeper into the bone structure 372 while the rim 344 is engaged with the second set of threads 360 will cause the arch bar 310 to move away from the tissue 370 and toward the head 350 of the fastener 312 until the rim 344 seats within the locking groove 357 of the fastener 312 (as shown in FIG. 13).

The interference fit or tight fit of the rim 344 in the locking groove 357 restricts or prevents the rim 344 from disengaging the locking groove 357 and restricts or prevents relative movement between the fastener 312 and the arch bar 310 along the elongated length of the aperture 330 while still allowing the fastener 312 to rotate relative to the arch bar 310. In this manner, the surgeon may adjust the depth of the fastener 312 into the patient's bone 372 to adjust a gap G between the arch bar 310 and the outer surface 374 of the tissue 370. The tapered section 362 of the second set of threads 360 provides a ramped transition from the minor diameter D2 of the second set of threads 360 to the minor diameter D4 of the locking groove 357 and may allow for the gradual expansion of the aperture 330 as the rim 344 approaches its seat in the locking groove 357. Furthermore, the tapered section 362 may reduce sensitivity to off-angle insertion of the fastener 312 into the tissue 370 and bone 372.

It will be appreciated that the gap G between the arch bar 310 and the outer surface 374 may vary at different locations along the length of the arch bar 310. That is, the surgeon could choose to vary the gap G at or more fasteners 312 by adjusting the depth of individual fasteners 312 in the bone structure 372. This allows the surgeon to make localized fine adjustments to the out-of-plane contour of the arch bar 310 without inducing anterior “tenting” of the arch bar 310. Furthermore, providing the gap G between the arch bar 310 and the gingival tissue 370 prevents compression of the tissue 370, thereby reducing or minimizing necrosis of the tissue 370. Because of the tendency of the second set of threads 360 of the fasteners 312 to move the arch bar 310 away from the tissue 370 and toward the head 350 of the fastener 312 (due to the larger lead of the second set of threads 360 relative to the first set of threads 358), the gap G can be created without having to insert a spacer tool between the arch bar 310 and the tissue 370 during installation of the intermaxillary fixation assembly 311.

The support strut 332 between adjacent apertures 330 on each mounting tab 324 reduces the variation in stiffness of the arch bar 310 along the length of the arch bar 310, while still allowing for a wide range of placement options for the fasteners 312. The support struts 332 also reduce or minimize an amount of the arch bar 310 that “hangs” posterior of the last fastener 312 securing the arch bar 310 to the bone 372 (i.e., the support struts 332 provide additional stiffness for ends of the arch bars 310). In this manner, undesirable flexing in the posterior aspects (distal ends) of the arch bars 310 is reduced.

Once the surgeon has inserted the desired number of fasteners 312 into the desired locations and the arch bars 310 are positioned as desired, the surgeon may tie or wrap one or more of the wires 314 around the hooks 322 of the arch bars 310 to restrict relative movement between the maxilla 16 and mandible 18. It will be appreciated that adjustments can be made to the fasteners 312 after attachment of the one or more wires 314 to the hooks 322 and/or additional fasteners 312 could be driven into the bone 372 after attachment of the one or more wires 314 to the hooks 322.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for stabilizing a maxilla or a mandible of a patient, the method comprising: obtaining or providing a first medical assembly, the first medical assembly comprising: an elongated, contourable plate having a longitudinal axis, a plurality of sections extending parallel to the longitudinal axis, a plurality of recessed portions, each recessed portion of the plurality of recessed portions positioned between two of the plurality of sections along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis, a plurality of apertures, wherein at least two apertures of the plurality of apertures is defined through each section of the plurality of sections, and a plurality of hooks extending from the plate, wherein a single hook of the plurality of hooks is positioned below each aperture of the plurality of apertures, and a plurality of fasteners, each fastener of the plurality of fasteners including a head and a shaft, wherein the shaft includes a tapered distal end, a first threaded portion, and a second threaded portion between the first threaded portion and the head, wherein the second threaded portion has a greater diameter than the first threaded portion, and wherein the second threaded portion has a larger lead than the first threaded portion, positioning the first medical assembly over the maxilla or the mandible; and driving each of the plurality of fasteners through a respective aperture of the plurality of apertures and into the maxilla or the mandible to stabilize the maxilla or the mandible with the first medical assembly, wherein driving the second threaded portion through the aperture causes the section defining the aperture to move away from the maxilla or the mandible, thereby creating a gap between the section of the plate and gingival tissue when the first medical assembly is in a fixed, implanted position.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second threaded portion has at least twice the lead as the first threaded portion.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein driving the plurality of fasteners through the plurality of apertures includes: threadably driving the first threaded portion of a fastener of the plurality of fasteners through an aperture of the plurality of apertures, through gingival tissue and into the maxilla or the mandible; and engaging the second threaded portion of the fastener with a chamfered periphery of the aperture.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: bending the elongated, contourable plate from a pre-deployment shape to a shape corresponding to the maxilla or the mandible.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining or providing a second medical assembly including an elongated, contourable plate and a plurality of hooks extending from the plate; and positioning the second medical assembly over the mandible, wherein positioning the first medical assembly includes positioning the first medical assembly over the maxilla.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: connecting at least one of the hooks of the first medical assembly to at least one of the hooks of the second medical assembly.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein connecting at least one of the hooks of the first medical assembly to at least one of the hooks of the second medical assembly includes wrapping wire around the hooks.
 8. The method of claim 5, further comprising: positioning the first medical assembly and the second medical assembly such that the plurality of hooks of the first medical assembly and the plurality of hooks of the second medical assembly are generally aligned with each other.
 9. The method of claim 5, further comprising: fixing the second medical assembly to the mandible, wherein the second medical assembly further includes: a plurality of fasteners, each fastener of the plurality of fasteners including a head and a shaft, wherein the shaft includes a tapered distal end, a first threaded portion, and a second threaded portion between the first threaded portion and the head, wherein the second threaded portion has a greater diameter than the first threaded portion, and wherein the second threaded portion has a larger lead than the first threaded portion, and a plurality of apertures configured to receive the plurality of fasteners to fix the second medical assembly to the mandible; wherein fixing the second medical assembly to the mandible includes driving the plurality of fasteners through the plurality of apertures and into the mandible to stabilize the mandible with the second medical assembly; wherein driving the second threaded portion through the aperture causes the aperture to move away from the mandible, thereby creating a gap between the aperture and gingival tissue when the second medical assembly is in a fixed, implanted position.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein each aperture of the plurality of apertures has a chamfered surface extending around a periphery thereof and driving the plurality of fasteners through the plurality of apertures comprises driving until the head engages the periphery.
 11. A method for stabilizing a maxilla or a mandible of a patient, the method comprising: obtaining or providing a first medical assembly comprising: a contourable plate extending along a first longitudinal axis and including a plurality of sections separated by a recessed portion; a plurality of openings positioned along a second longitudinal axis parallel to the first longitudinal axis, such that each opening extends through a section of the plurality of sections; a plurality of hooks, wherein there is an equal number of the plurality of hooks and the plurality of openings such that one hook is positioned below each opening; and a plurality of fasteners having a tapered distal tip, a first threaded portion positioned proximal to the tapered distal tip, a second threaded portion positioned proximal to the first threaded portion, and a head positioned proximal to the second threaded portion, the first threaded portion having threads with a smaller diameter than threads of the second threaded portion, and the second threaded portion having a larger lead than the first threaded portion; bending at least a portion of the contourable plate from a pre-deployment shape into a deployment shape corresponding to a shape of the maxilla or the mandible; inserting a fastener of the plurality of fasteners through an opening of the plurality of openings; threadably driving the first threaded portion of the fastener through gingival tissue and into the maxilla or the mandible; and engaging the second threaded portion of the fastener with a periphery of the opening defined by the section to move the section away from the gingival tissue.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein obtaining or providing a first medical assembly comprises (i) selecting the contourable plate that corresponds to a size of the maxilla or the mandible, or (ii) trimming the contourable plate to correspond to the size of the maxilla or the mandible.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: threadably driving the second threaded portion of the fastener through the opening such that the section defining the opening moves away from the maxilla or the mandible, thereby creating a gap between the gingival tissue and a mounting tab defining the opening.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: obtaining or providing a second medical assembly comprising: an elongated, contourable plate, a plurality of apertures, a plurality of hooks extending from the plate, and a plurality of fasteners; bending at least a portion of the plate of the second medical assembly from a predeployment shape into a deployment shape corresponding to a shape of the mandible, wherein the deployment shape of the plate of the first medical assembly corresponds to a shape of the maxilla; and applying wire to the plurality of hooks of the first and second medical assemblies to secure the plate of the first medical assembly to the plate of the second medical assembly so as to restrict movement of the mandible relative to the maxilla.
 15. A method of restricting movement of a mandible relative to a maxilla, the method comprising: obtaining or providing a maxilla assembly and a mandible assembly, each assembly having a bar having a longitudinal axis, a plurality of mounting tabs, a plurality of fasteners, each mounting tab of the plurality of mounting tabs having at least two openings and at least two hooks, wherein the at least two openings are positioned side-by-side on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bar, and each fastener of the plurality of fasteners having a head and first and second threaded portions, the second threaded portion distal to the head, and the first threaded portion distal to the second threaded portion, the first threaded portion having threads with a smaller diameter than threads of the second threaded portion, and the second threaded portion having a larger lead than the first threaded portion; bending at least a portion of the bar of the maxilla assembly into a first shape corresponding to a shape of the maxilla; bending at least a portion of the bar of the mandible assembly into a shape corresponding to a shape of the mandible; inserting a fastener of the plurality of fasteners through an opening of the at least two openings of a mounting tab of the plurality of mounting tabs, threadably driving the first threaded portion of the fastener into the mandible or the maxilla; engaging the second threaded portion of the fastener with a periphery of the opening defined by the mounting tab; and rotating the fastener relative to the bars and relative to the mandible or maxilla such that the fastener is threadably advanced into the maxilla or the mandible while simultaneously threadably moving the mounting tab toward a head of the fastener and away from gingival tissue through which the fastener extends; and locking the fastener relative to the mounting tab by engaging an annular locking groove of the fastener with a chamfered surface of the opening defined by the mounting tab.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: connecting one of the hooks of the bar of the maxilla assembly to one of the hooks of the bar of the mandible assembly.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the lead of the second threaded portion is approximately twice the lead of the first threaded portion.
 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising: inserting additional fasteners of the plurality of fasteners through respective openings of the plurality of mounting tabs; threadably driving respective first threaded portions of the additional fasteners into the maxilla or the mandible; and rotating the additional fasteners relative to the bars and relative to the maxilla or the mandible such that the additional fasteners are threadably advanced into the maxilla or the mandible while simultaneously threadably moving the plurality of mounting tabs toward respective heads of the additional fasteners and away from gingival tissue through which the additional fasteners extend.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising: adjusting a depth of the fastener in the maxilla or the mandible to vary a gap formed between the respective mounting tab and the gingival tissue. 